For the first time since February, the Kansas City Chiefs squared off against the San Francisco 49ers. Sunday’s outing wasn’t quite the same product as Super Bowl LVIII, but it added to the ongoing (and rare) rivalry between AFC and NFC clubs nonetheless.
After the home team jumped out to a 3-0 lead, Kansas City responded in the second quarter with a pair of touchdowns. The second half featured some back-and-forth between the reigning conference champs but following a rushing touchdown from Patrick Mahomes in the final quarter, the Chiefs never looked back. It’s a 28-18 win for Andy Reid’s team, and one that keeps their perfect record intact as they rise to 6-0 on the year.
With that in mind, here are four takeaways from Sunday’s game.
After losing cornerback L’Jarius Sneed in the offseason, the Chiefs’ defense has probably taken a tumble from perhaps the single-best unit in football to merely a good-to-great group. Considering how high they sat atop the throne a season ago, though, that isn’t a slight whatsoever. Being able to lose such a talented and fundamental player and then maintain good standing in a league where defense is as volatile as ever is impressive. Regardless of opponent or circumstance, this Kansas City defense keeps answering the call. Sunday, for the most part, was no different.
Spagnuolo and Co. set the tone from the start, holding San Francisco to just six points in the opening half of play. Going 0-for-3 on third downs in the first quarter, the 49ers gained just one first down in that frame and had 28 yards on 10 plays. Prior to a third-quarter touchdown, here’s how their drives ended:
That production will play seven days a week and especially on Sunday. Forcing multiple turnovers on Brock Purdy, slowing down Jordan Mason for a large chunk of the game and making the most of San Francisco being down multiple weapons were the keys to another stellar defensive performance.
It’s well-documented that the state of the Chiefs’ wide receiver room has been far less than ideal this season. In addition to Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Rashee Rice both being out with respective long-term shoulder and knee injuries, JuJu Smith-Schuster came into Week 7 with a hamstring issue that limited him in practice on Thursday and Friday. While the veteran pass catcher was ultimately good to go on Sunday, it ended up being a short-lived performance.
Despite his best efforts, Smith-Schuster simply couldn’t get through the game. He left in the first quarter with that hamstring ailment, later getting ruled out by the team. Nursing a tricky injury like that before the bye week would’ve been a better time but instead, Kansas City is attempting to move forward with perhaps their top wideout at less than 100%. Relying on rookie Xavier Worthy and veterans like Mecole Hardman, Justin Watson and Skyy Moore is a dangerous place to be, even more so than the Chiefs were in before Smith-Schuster was hurt.
Even with Isiah Pacheco on the injured reserve list due to a broken fibula, the Chiefs haven’t shied away from running the football. Part of that philosophical shift is likely due to the aforementioned Brown and Rice injuries, but Kansas City is playing to the strengths of its specific runners as well. That, combined with Kareem Hunt coming back and looking fresh and the defense providing ample room for error, paved the way for the reigning champs to continue playing complementary football. Sunday marked more of the same.
The very offense that ranked ninth in the league in rushing attempts per game somehow topped their average mark substantially in Week 7. Prior to their final drive of the game to ice the game away, Kansas City toted the ball 37 times for a whopping 186 yards and four (yes, four) touchdowns. Hunt once again crossed the 20-attempt threshold and rookie fullback Carson Steele got a handful of carries as well. A 33-yard scamper from Mahomes was excellent, and Hardman logged a pair of nice runs on sweeps. The mix of traditional and modern runs kept San Francisco honest, also allowing the Chiefs to hold a time of possession advantage.
Over the weekend, my Kansas City Chiefs On SI colleague Mark Van Sickle dove into how Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have found success against the 49ers in the past. Since the two-time NFL MVP took over as the club’s full-time starter in 2018, Kansas City entered Sunday’s game 4-0 against San Francisco. That includes a pair of Super Bowl triumphs. Week 7 definitely fielded one of the more vulnerable Chiefs teams in this series, but it didn’t matter.
Although the 49ers seemed to downplay the revenge aspect of this regular-season championship rematch, it’d be foolish to think this contest didn’t have a bit of extra meaning for them. With the Chiefs winning yet again, the vibes are bordering on those of rivalries Kansas City has with some teams in its own conference. Kyle Shanahan is an awesome coach and the 49ers are a good team despite being 3-4 now, but they can’t seem to get over the hump against this group.
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